Document text
CLEAR Temp: 70 °F Wind: SSW at 3 mph Saturday, August 30, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend July 28, 2003 Tall grasses, linden trees and terraced slopes are part of the landscape plan for City Hall grounds, about to go to bid. Construction is set to begin this fall. (courtesy Galbraith & Associates, Inc., Medford) Steps in the right direction After some fits and starts, City Hall revival nears bids By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune Turning City Hall’s moonscaping into a flowering paradise is still months away, but Medford officials are preparing to put the $425,000 project out to bid. With a nautilus fountain as its centerpiece, the design includes water-efficient plants, a shaded plaza with benches and sidewalks with trees and lampposts. "There’s going to be more of a plaza feel out here," said Scott Archer, parks and recreation director. "It’ll be more user-friendly." With the spring completion of the seismic retrofitting project, City Hall’s barren yard has been ready for vegetation for several months. Advertisement Part of what’s kept shovels away is a discussion to combine the city’s landscaping with Medford Urban Renewal Agency’s streetscaping so that the whole project could be awarded to one contractor, Archer said. MURA typically does the streetscaping for new construction projects downtown. Archer said when the city attorney is finished drawing up the joint contract, it will go out to contractors for bids. The plan eliminates most of the water- and labor-intensive lawn that used to be there and includes more drought-resistant plants and concrete. The City Council in February approved $200,000 to cover the city’s portion of the project. The money would come from some city employee positions that had been funded but unfilled, so it’s already in the budget, according to city staff. Archer said he anticipates the landscaping, which he describes as "nice" but not "elaborate," will cost less than planned. "You don’t know really what the cost is going to be until you get your bids out," he said. MURA’s preliminary estimate is $190,000 for the sidewalk, lamps and trees. The Medford Water Commission gave the city $25,000 to cover the cost of a fountain to commemorate the commission’s 75th anniversary. It also approved $20,000 in grants for water-efficient landscaping. Commission Manager Ed Olson said the proposal is a huge improvement over what used to surround the building. "It was not a good example of water-efficient landscaping," he said. The city’s landscaping plans have gone back to the drawing board a few times to trim costs, and landscape architect John Galbraith said the latest change is to use concrete instead of pavers, which shaves off a few thousand dollars. The latest water feature design, he said, is a 20-foot-diameter spiral fountain with boulders and recycling water that mimics a stream. He said he’s also working with the arts commission to come up with a fish sculpture to include in the fountain. According to Galbraith, downtowners will feel more inclined to mill about the grounds, especially around the fountain, with the comfortable benches and cooling tree canopies. He said the plan is to keep the cedar tree in the front, but all the other trees will be removed. "They really aren’t doing well," he said. The construction bid will include the option of building a stand for the city’s 8½ -foot copper replica of the Statue of Liberty. The statue, once displayed in Hawthorne Park, had been severely vandalized and is at the repair shop, awaiting a new home. Archer said he anticipates construction beginning in mid-fall. "How much of the project is going to get done this fall is totally weather-dependent," he said. "When the ground gets wet you can’t go mucking around because you make a mess of things." Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times